Along with regular upkeep and maintenance, the protection of an automotive vehicle—or motorcycle—from the damaging and destructive effects of environmental exposure is critical in maintaining and extending the life of the vehicle. It is too well known that vehicles parked outside year round, and subjected to wind, rain, snow, sleet, hail, the gradually corrosive effects of rusting, and temperature variations ranging from sultry summer weather to freezing, sub-zero winter weather, have a shorter life span than those vehicles that are parked indoors or are protectively covered by their owners. For owners of classic and antique vehicles there is an especial concern for protecting the vehicle at all times to maintain and preserve the engine parts and the exterior finish or surface. However, many vehicle owners lack garages to park and store their vehicles; thus, these owners must use other means to protect their vehicles. One of the most common means of vehicle protection is by using a flexible, non-scratch covering, which is simply draped over the vehicle and held on to the vehicle by elastic portions or members at the corners of the covering. While this simple type of covering has some usefulness, it does not protect the lower panels and underside of the vehicle from mud, snow, dirt, stones, and the gradual and destructive effects of moisture accumulating on the exposed panels and vehicle underside. Therefore, more elaborate coverings have been conceived, and the prior art discloses numerous types of protective containers and cases for covering tools, equipment and automotive vehicles that go beyond the simple cloth or sheet-type of cover.
Representative of such prior art protective containers, cases and covers is the Crowfoot patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,616) that discloses a case for a motor bike including a base to which pivotal housings are connected for pivoting in a vertical plane to cover the vehicles. Each of the housings has a vent hole and seals are interposed between the housings for providing a watertight jointure of the housings.
The Zoffer patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,389) discloses a protective cover for wheeled vehicles having a base platform for supporting the vehicle and a pair of flexible side panels that extend upwardly and outwardly from the base. A pair of roof panels are integrally adjoined to the side panels for enclosing the vehicle and the edges of the panels are releasably attachable and detachable from each other.
Nonetheless, despite the ingenuity of the prior art, there remains a need for a protective cover that is easy to setup and use in a relatively brief amount of time, is lightweight and portable, and can be used both indoors and outdoors to protect the vehicle.